Emergency department utilization patterns for pediatric urinary stone patients in the United States.

Background: The prevalence of pediatric urolithiasis has increased rapidly, leading to more emergency department (ED) visits across the United States.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine emergency care practices for children and adolescents with urinary stones and characteristics associated with management.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of the 2021 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample to identify pediatric patients (≤21 years) presenting to an ED in the United States with a primary diagnosis of urinary stone disease.

Reasoning and interpretation cognitive biases related to psychotic characteristics: An umbrella-review.

Cognitive biases have been studied in relation to schizophrenia and psychosis for over 50 years. Yet, the quality of the evidence linking cognitive biases and psychosis is not entirely clear. This umbrella-review examines the quality of the evidence and summarizes the effect sizes of the reasoning and interpretation cognitive biases studied in relation to psychotic characteristics (psychotic disorders, psychotic symptoms, psychotic-like experiences or psychosis risk).

Impact of Bifurcation Lesions on Outcomes After FFR-Guided PCI or CABG.

Background: In the era of first-generation drug-eluting stents and angiography-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the presence of a bifurcation lesion was associated with adverse outcomes after PCI. In contrast, the presence of a bifurcation lesion had no impact on outcomes following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Therefore, the presence of a coronary bifurcation lesion requires special attention when choosing between CABG and PCI.

Selected Health Characteristics are Associated with Urban Canadians' Acceptability of Policies Promoting Healthier Restaurant Food Environments.

Objective: Adoption of policies promoting healthier restaurant food environments (RFEs) is contingent on their acceptability. Limited evidence exists regarding individual characteristics associated with RFE policy acceptability, especially health-related characteristics. This study examined associations between health characteristics and RFE policy acceptability among urban Canadians.

Cortical hemodynamics of electrographic status epilepticus in the critically ill.

Objectives: The pathophysiological mechanisms of status epilepticus (SE) underlying potential brain injury remain largely unclear. This study aims to employ functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) combined with video-electroencephalography (vEEG) to monitor brain hemodynamics continuously and non-invasively in critically ill adult patients experiencing electrographic SE. Our primary focus is to investigate neurovascular coupling and cerebrovascular changes associated with seizures, particularly during recurring and/or prolonged episodes.

Effect of depressive symptoms on health services utilization in the HIV and hepatitis C co-infected population in Canada.

Depression is common among people living with HCV and HIV, which contributes to health services utilization (HSU). It is unknown whether successful HCV treatment affects this. We examined depressive symptoms and HSU in people co-infected with HIV-HCV and their association with sustained virologic response (SVR) during the direct-acting antiviral era.

Comparing the efficacy of intra-articular injection of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) with corticosteroids (CS) in patients with chronic zygapophyseal joint low back pain confirmed by double intra-articular diagnostic blocks: A triple-blinded randomized multicentric controlled trial with a 6-month follow-up.

Objective: To compare the safety and effectiveness in improving function and reducing pain of autologous PRP to corticosteroid (CS) zygapophyseal (Z-joint) intra-articular (IA) injections at six months for patients with chronic osteoarthritis Z-joint mediated low back pain (LBP).

Design: Prospective triple-blinded multicentric randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Fifty participants with radiological signs of Z-joint OA and chronic Z-joint mediated LBP confirmed by a ≥80 % pain improvement after two IA local anesthetic injections were randomized into PRP and CS groups, using a 1:1 ratio.

Differences in pain treatment between the healthcare systems in South Korea and Quebec and proposals for improvements.

After a year of exchange in Montreal, a South Korean academic physiatrist and his Canadian colleague have reflected on the strengths and weaknesses of their respective healthcare systems. They have focused more specifically on physiatrist-delivered pain medicine treatments. This article is written based on personal perspectives.

Comparison of Plasma p-tau217 and [F]FDG-PET for Identifying Alzheimer Disease in People With Early-Onset or Atypical Dementia.

Background And Objectives: To compare the diagnostic performance of an immunoassay for plasma concentrations of phosphorylated tau (p-tau) 217 with visual assessments of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose [F]FDG-PET in individuals who meet appropriate use criteria for Alzheimer dementia (AD) biomarker assessments.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of individuals with early-onset (age <65 years at onset) and/or atypical dementia (features other than memory at onset), who were evaluated at a tertiary care memory clinic. All participants underwent measurements of CSF biomarkers (Aβ42, p-tau181, and total tau levels), as well as [F]FDG-PET scans, amyloid-PET scans, and plasma p-tau217 quantifications.

HPV vaccination and anal HPV infection in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Background: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) have a higher risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and related diseases and would benefit from preventive measures such as HPV vaccination. We assessed the association between HPV vaccination and anal HPV infection in HIV-negative gbMSM and gbMSM living with HIV from the Lubricant Investigation in Men to Inhibit Transmission of HPV Infection study.

Methods: Participants attended 7 visits over 12 months where they provided a nurse-collected anal sample and self-completed a questionnaire on risk factors and HPV vaccination.

Reliability and applicability of angiographic outcome scales in WEB device-treated aneurysms: a systematic review.

Purpose: Various angiographic assessment scales have been used to report the results of endovascular treatment with the WEB device. We aimed to review the use and reliability of these scales.

Methods: We systematically reviewed studies reporting angiographic outcomes of WEB-treated aneurysms from January 2010 to May 2023.

Predicting early stage lung cancer recurrence and survival from combined tumor motion amplitude and radiomics on free-breathing 4D-CT.

Background: Cancer control outcomes of lung cancer are hypothesized to be affected by several confounding factors, including tumor heterogeneity and patient history, which have been hypothesized to mitigate the dose delivery effectiveness when treated with radiation therapy. Providing an accurate predictive model to identify patients at risk would enable tailored follow-up strategies during treatment.

Purpose: Our goal is to demonstrate the added prognostic value of including tumor displacement amplitude in a predictive model that combines clinical features and computed tomography (CT) radiomics for 2-year recurrence and survival in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with curative-intent stereotactic body radiation therapy.

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy vs Sorafenib Alone in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: The NRG Oncology/RTOG 1112 Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Most patients with locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recur within the liver following systemic therapy.

Objective: To determine whether stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) improves outcomes in patients with locally advanced HCC compared with sorafenib alone.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter phase 3 randomized clinical trial randomized patients with HCC 1:1 to sorafenib or SBRT followed by sorafenib, stratified by performance status, liver function, degree of metastases, and macrovascular invasion.

Food Allergy Genetics and Epigenetics: A Review of Genome-Wide Association Studies.

In this review, we provide an overview of food allergy genetics and epigenetics aimed at clinicians and researchers. This includes a brief review of the current understanding of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, inheritance of food allergy, as well as a discussion of advantages and limitations of the different types of studies in genetic research. We specifically focus on the results of genome-wide association studies in food allergy, which have identified 16 genetic variants that reach genome-wide significance, many of which overlap with other allergic diseases, including asthma, atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis.

Optimal Treatment Strategies for Hormone-sensitive Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Does Local Radiotherapy Play a Role in High-volume Disease?

Optimal treatment strategies for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) are evolving with novel multimodal approaches. For well-selected patients, early local radiotherapy can play a pivotal role in high-volume mHSPC. Radiotherapy controls local disease, reduces symptoms, and may potentially delay castration resistance, warranting its consideration alongside systemic therapies in high-volume mHSPC.

Flow diversion for the treatment of distal circulation aneurysms: A randomized comparison.

Background And Purpose: Flow diversion (FD) has expanded beyond initial indications (proximal carotid artery aneurysms) to include distal circulation aneurysms (on the anterior, middle, or posterior cerebral arteries). Our objective was to examine results obtained from aneurysms in these locations in the Flow Diversion in the Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms Trial (FIAT) which compared FD with alternative standard management options (ASMO).

Materials And Methods: FIAT was an all-inclusive parallel-group 1:1 randomized study comparing FD with one of 4 ASMOs (coiling +/-stenting, parent vessel occlusion (PVO), clipping, or observation, pre-specified by clinical judgment).

Public perspectives on COVID-19 triage protocols for access to critical care in extreme pandemic context.

COVID-19 triage protocols are resource allocation processes to deal with the potential lack of resources in Intensive Care Units (ICU). They have given rise to numerous ethical issues and controversies. Among them is the fear that people will be denied access to ICU on the basis of judgments about their quality of life, social value, frailty or age.

ABHD6 loss-of-function in mesoaccumbens postsynaptic but not presynaptic neurons prevents diet-induced obesity in male mice.

α/β-hydrolase domain 6 (ABHD6) is a lipase linked to physiological functions affecting energy metabolism. Brain ABHD6 degrades 2-arachidonoylglycerol and thereby modifies cannabinoid receptor signalling. However, its functional role within mesoaccumbens circuitry critical for motivated behaviour and considerably modulated by endocannabinoids was unknown.

Is COVID-19 Still a Threat? An Expert Opinion Review on the Continued Healthcare Burden in Immunocompromised Individuals.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has had a profound global impact. The emergence of several variants during the pandemic has presented numerous challenges in preventing and managing this disease. The development of vaccines has played a pivotal role in controlling the pandemic, with a significant portion of the global population being vaccinated.

Primary Care Providers Barriers, Comfort and Awareness in Follow-up Care of Acute Kidney Injury Patients: A Comprehensive Survey on Current Practices.

Background: Patients who experienced acute kidney injury (AKI) may benefit from dedicated care following hospital discharge. Most of these patients will be followed by primary care providers. There is a lack of data on current practices and comfort for these care providers when offering post-AKI care.

Widespread gene-environment interactions shape the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Genome-wide association studies performed in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have uncovered various loci significantly associated with susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease severity. However, the underlying -regulatory genetic factors that contribute to heterogeneity in the response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and their impact on clinical phenotypes remain enigmatic. Here, we used single-cell RNA-sequencing to quantify genetic contributions to -regulatory variation in 361,119 peripheral blood mononuclear cells across 63 COVID-19 patients during acute infection, 39 samples collected in the convalescent phase, and 106 healthy controls.